Nicholas Groat

Dr. Nicholas Groat is an Honorary Research Fellow and AHRC Research and Innovation Associate at the University of Sheffield’s School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities. He holds a PhD (2023) from the University of Sheffield, an MSc (2017) from Leiden University, and a BSc (2016) from the University of Sheffield. His research focuses on the sociocultural impact of technological systems, craft practices, and production processes, with a geographic emphasis on Bronze-Iron Age to Hellenistic Europe, Western Asia, and South-Central Asia. He explores themes such as resource exploitation, community formation, and heritage’s influence on modern society through interdisciplinary methods, including material analysis, oral history, and experimental archaeology.

Rather than isolating archaeological findings, Groat integrates modern craft practitioners’ insights and public engagement initiatives. He has contributed to projects like the Hinterlands of Medieval Chalkida and Sinop Kale excavations, and led experimental metallurgy studies at the University of Sheffield. His work also bridges academia and industry, including collaborations with Locksley Distilling and local heritage institutions. Groat’s research interrogates the commodification of the past, cultural identity, and how archaeological perspectives address contemporary challenges.